Hotel Heart
by Inklines
Summary: or, 7 times Austin uses an album to convey his feelings for Ally. Featuring Native by OneRepublic. Austin\Ally. Multi-chapter.
1. What You Wanted

**AN: **I feel like this is the only way I could have gotten over my writer's block, even though there's probably hundreds of this on the Archive. I added a little twist to it - most of the oneshots are based on songs from OneRepublic's new album (which I do recommend you take a listen to!) Mainly as practice. I'm fairly new to the Austin and Ally fandom, so I'm sorry if my stories are OOC. Also, my buildup is pretty slow, so I'm sorry about that too - I'm a bit rusty. Enjoy! Reviews are appreciated! :)

**Disclaimer: **Austin & Ally (c) Disney. The mp3 shuffle meme belong to whoever thought it up. The single album twist and its interpretation belongs to me.

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**1. ****What You Wanted **

_I'll run now, 'cause this time  
Oh, how my love is true  
Tell me, something I wouldn't do_

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It feels like fireworks and drum beats simultaneously go off whenever she's around him.

He's becoming acutely aware of them now - they resonate throughout his entire being; roots him to the spot wherever he's standing, reducing him to silence whenever he's speaking. Dez had become suspicious on multiple afternoons; he doesn't realize how the feelings hold such a strong effect on him until a freckled elbow nudges him and a pseudo-condescending voice comments: "whoever shuts you up like that must be a keeper." He decides not to mention most of the details, except that the reaction is something entirely different than the angel chorus he hears when he sees other girls - the fireworks don't go off when he thinks of Cassidy; the drum beats don't sound when he sees Kira. Dez smiles all-knowingly, whispering something about "special girls and love-whispering".

He rolls his eyes, because him, in love with Ally Dawson?

No.

Later on, he begins to see her around more frequently than he should. She resides amongst his thoughts, resurfacing whenever he's alone within the spacious mall. In fact, the entire mall itself triggers her - whenever Subway asks if he would like pickles on his sub; whenever he glances at the thrift store's floral patterns and jean waistcoat displays; whenever he smells that particular lavender perfume; whenever a child walks past him with a handful of blue cotton candy, similar to the texture of clouds. Everything around him has him recalling, reminiscing - wanting.

He predicts Trish and Dez's reactions at the news; they'd share a mischievous glance, plaster matching smirks to their faces, and each takes his hands. Trish would laugh and smile: "You got it real bad there, Austin," while Dez hums the tune to 'I Won't Say (I'm in Love)".

He scoffs out loud, because him, in love with Ally Dawson?

It's a possibility.

His remedy is to stifle his memories of her and avoid the mall altogether for a few days, and he is pleasantly surprised when his method actually works - until he loses himself in his sleep. She visits him in his dreams, almost as if she had been waiting for him; the sensory overload floods and overtakes his nerves. She teases him with soft hair, soft skin, soft lips; warm breaths and warm touches, and everything is soft and warm and heavenly until he wakes up in a puddle of cold sweat.

He chooses to tell Trish and Dez then, and his predictions are more-or-less spot on, except they're more sincere about it; Trish mentions mutual feelings and there's a pause when the fireworks and drum beats and cymbals vibrate through him. Dez punches his arm affectionately - "go get her, tiger," and he swallows and smiles for the first time in a while, because him, in love with Ally Dawson?

Maybe.

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"Austin, I need you to focus. Can you do that for me?"

Now, he's facing her, his light grey eyes clashing with her dark brown ones, and a million and one things go off in his mind, and it's like he can't focus because her presence alone triggers everything; she envelops his entire being, and he thinks and he realizes that he'd do so much for her; he'd give up so much and kill for her and go to the ends of the earth for her... if she wanted him to.

Because him, in love with Ally Dawson?

"Yea."

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**AN:** So how was that? I'll resolve to write a story a day hopefully, and update prob. every other day. If you like it, leave a review and tell me what you think!


	2. Counting Stars

**AN: **I missed my deadline by an hour damn... This took a long while to think up because I had school stuff to tend to and the concept of this oneshot kept running away from me. I got frustrated with the format and gave up close to the end, so I feel like this isn't the best of chapters (even though I have 5 more left). Counting Stars is one of the more popular singles, and gosh, interpretation was a killer, but enough about me! Enjoy! Reviews are appreciated!

**Disclaimer: **Austin & Ally still don't belong to me. What a calamity.

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**2. Counting Stars**

_Lately, I've been losing sleep  
Dreaming about the things that we could be  
(Said, no more counting dollars  
We'll be counting stars.)_

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He'd never admit it to her directly, but he enjoys stargazing. There's something strangely therapeutic from gazing at grey-laced obsidian skies and contemplating your entire existence in the vast universe. He's been going to the same spot for a year - a cleared spot on the roof of the Moon Mattress Kingdom storage warehouse - where he'd lie down on the asphalt surface, breathe in the cold air, and just stare and stare and stare. He thinks of the stars as his angels, distant guardians of this tiny, generally insignificant blond boy; and he wonders out loud - how'd he get so lucky?

One person flashes in his mind then, and the stars twinkle all-knowingly.

He hasn't stopped thinking about her since he told Trish and Dez - he can't stop; it's clouding his better judgment and conscience, more-or-less affecting his entire ability to compose with her. The moment their shoulders bump or their hands touch on the piano, his train of thought derails, crashes and bursts into flames - he's left tongue-tied, off-key, with a severe emotionally-cracked voice, his hurt pride, and a bewildered Ally. She's oblivious to the fact that she's making him like this, because she writes it off as exhaustion and sends him out of the practice room to get some rest at home. He doesn't, even in bed; his mind produces a billion pictures a minute; it's 1:45am when he texts her to meet him in front of the warehouse, no questions asked.

They're lying together on the asphalt, watching the sky; blond and auburn hair spread haphazardly beneath their heads, and hands on their chests. He exhales: "I couldn't sleep. I keep thinking... like I can't turn off my brain... I'm sorry I called you out here..."

"It's okay." Her voice calms him almost immediately, slow and melodious, like her songs. "I thought fun-loving Austin Moon hated looking at the sky."

"During the day, Ally. I don't know how someone can sit and stare at clouds all day."

"You do realize stargazing is like cloud watching at night, right?" He sits up to look at her, the epiphany written clear on his face (Austin Moon likes a boring thing? This is incredible), and ends up watching her for much longer than he expected to. She 'hmm's in content, her eyes following the clouds and the stars and the gargantuan map they seem to produce, and she looks so beautiful, so beautiful, just so goddamn _beautiful_; the fireworks are radiating through his body yet again, it's almost painful how he just _feels_ he can't get her, and he leans back onto the surface.

He hesitates a bit, before courage takes him over and he grabs her hand and murmurs song lyrics into the night air. "There's no way I could make it without you, Ally." And he's pretty sure she heard him, because her grip tightens around his hands, and she breathes out a simple "thank you" - and the billion pictures a minute stop. It's just a single picture of her now.

The stars still twinkle all-knowingly.

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**AN: **Reviews are love.


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